Richmond park deer rut 2009

Ukwildlifeo · #1 (**permalink**) 11-10-2009, 02:25 AM

Im planning a visit to Richmond Park this week for the deer rut. Ive been before, so Im going for a weekday to avoid the crowds of last year! Does anyone have any up to dae info on where the herds are gathering, if they are still rutting or the pecking order is sorted etc?

Thanks in advance

aeshna5 · #2 (**permalink**) 11-10-2009, 06:31 AM

I was there last weekend + the stags were roaring, had harems of hinds + saw 2 stags parallel walking sizing each other up, but no physical encounters between stags.

The groups are scattered through the park, so shoudn't be difficult to find some. Didn't see too many photographers unlike last year, though weather was quite blowy last Saturday, so maybe photographers were waiting for a better day!

stevemagennis · #3 (**permalink**) 11-10-2009, 03:21 PM

Hi.

I was there just at the end of last week and as last post said the stags seem to have their groups of hinds, you wont have any problem finding them, they are all scattered over the park. No rutting as yet although some roaring. I've posted a few images in the Gallery of what I managed to photograph.

Enjoy, let us know how you get on.

Steve Magennis

pressld2 · #4 (**permalink**) 15-10-2009, 09:34 PM

Have you been yet Neil?

I've never been to Richmond Park but I'm thinking of going one day this weekend. Any advice on the best place to park? And is it quieter on Saturdays than Sundays or is it about the same both days?

Dave P.

loripo · #5 (**permalink**) 15-10-2009, 09:43 PM

Look up royalparks dot org dot uk - they have info on Richmond park & a pdf map you can download which can be enlarged & searched on.

pressld2 · #6 (**permalink**) 18-10-2009, 11:03 PM

Thanks Loripo - that was very useful.

I went yesterday and got there at 07:45. Unfortunately I went to the Robin Hood gate just off the A3 but this gate is closed to vehicles (the clue was in the word "pedestrian" which was clearly marked on the map for those with the sense to look!

) I managed to find another gate and parked in the Pembroke Lodge car park.

The place was heaving with ring-necked parakeets...

There are at least 23 in this picture...

I know some people find them a welcome dash of the exotic to the British countryside but in my opinion there's just too many of them. From the minute I arrived until I left just before 2pm, and wherever I went in the park there was a constant cacophony of their screeches.

I was much more impressed with the jackdaws - lovely birds and very busy foraging for ticks on the deer...

The deer were in fine voice, especially the reds, with lots of roaring and bellowing...

I had to clone another photographer out of the middle one of those images but I left him in this one...

Go on, have him! He's only a Canon user!

The fallow stags were doing their share of bellowing too...

And they provided the only physical contact of the day with these youngsters practicing their moves for when it's their turn in a few years...

Here's a few more pics of the red deer...

Dave P.

pressld2 · #7 (**permalink**) 18-10-2009, 11:32 PM

I reached the image limit in the last post but here's a few more:

Some lovely autumn colours in the park...

A few young fallow deer...

Not for the faint-hearted but I wanted to include this shot as it really brings it home that while the rut is a nice opportunity for us to practice our photography skills, for the deer it's a very serious business...

Don't think he'll be taking part any more this year and if that gets infected it could kill him.

Finally a couple of more experimental shots. A number of wildlife pros - Chris Weston and, more recently, Andy Rouse spring to mind - have published images with lots of motion blur. There have been quite a few winners and commendeds in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition too. I've never been sure about this technique. Sometimes I think it works well but I often look at such pictures and think "I'd have deleted that without a second thought". But anyway, faced with low light levels and some fast moving animals I thought I'd give it a go...

What do you think? Personally I quite like these two but I'd be very interested to hear other opinions.

Dave P.

Ukwildlifeo · #8 (**permalink**) 18-10-2009, 11:45 PM

Sorry Dave I missed this thread till now. Glad you found it ok. ANd some nice photos too!

I would have been useless on how to get there by car though, I ended up going by train again on Tuesday, because the trip would have involved the M25 or London (inc north circular) in the rush hour.

One place to go next time is the Isabella plantation, if you like ducks that is. Mandarins, shelducks, pintails feature in the collection and the usual crowd mallards moorhens etc. are also there.

As for teh parakeets, its nice to see them, but Im usually fed up with the noise after a day of them and Im hoping they dont get a foothold here east of London TBH.

pressld2 · #9 (**permalink**) 19-10-2009, 10:48 PM

Thanks Neil. I'd think twice about going by car next time. It's only 21 miles from my front door and it wasn't too bad getting there early in the morning - would have been about 45 minutes if I hadn't gone to the wrong gate. But getting home again was a nightmare! Best part of 3 hours. I gave up trying to get through Greenwich, turned round and went via Lewisham instead. That was slow but at least it was moving.

Not sure I could do it in under 2 hours by public transport though, as my part of London has no tube service. I'd have to change at least twice, either a train and two tubes or train - tube - train. Which station do you go to and is it walkable from there or do you have to get a bus?

Dave P.

Ukwildlifeo · #10 (**permalink**) 19-10-2009, 11:17 PM

I usually get the north london line or 'overground' as its called from stratford (nice new olympic standard trains and straford station now

) but I have got the jubilee line to waterloo and the normal train from there. The second route is meant to be quicker but I get the overground as I can find a seat and just sit there till I reach the other end of the line reading a magazine or something.

As for the getting to the park from the station, its a bit of a walk if im honest, but my route passes tesco for lunch, smiths for a magazine for the trip home and on my last trip I deiscovered a nice pub for dinner on the way back (cheap for richmond). Also you have to walk up richmond hill, which although its a bit of a climb, it has a great view and ive seen kestrels over the slope below hoovering level with the pavement you look out from. Plus you enter pretty near to a good pond for herons and manadarin ducks.